From Recession to Resurrection: How Dr. Rajesh R Agarwala Turned Trash into Triumph And why the world now calls him the King of Recycling

 

 

Some journeys don’t begin with ambition. They begin with a friend’s SOS.

 

Dr. Rajesh R Agarwala, already a name to reckon with in steel import and garment retail, wasn’t looking to expand when an old acquaintance, Ashwin Agarwal, knocked on his door. Ashwin had poured money into a recycling venture in Africa but couldn’t travel. The project was spiraling out of control. “Can you go and help?” he asked, with desperation that Rajesh couldn’t ignore.

 

Rajesh flew to Ghana.

 

What he found was chaos. But chaos never scared him. He stayed a few days, fixed what he could, calmed the storm, and returned. Ashwin was grateful beyond words. A few months later, Ashwin returned—not to ask, but to offer.

 

“This is a great business,” he said. “I’m stepping away. But you… you should build it.”

 

It wasn’t a business pitch. It was fate whispering again.

 

Curious and cautious, Rajesh dug deeper. What he found intrigued him. Recycling wasn’t just lucrative—it was the future. But it was global by nature, and India’s cross-border regulations at the time made it difficult to operate from within. So, in 2005, Rajesh made a move that would change everything. He relocated to Dubai and started small, with vision in his eyes and steel in his spine.

 

Then came 2008. The global recession didn’t just slow him down—it crushed him. The losses were staggering.

 

But Rajesh had always built on clean ground. No loans. No borrowings. No baggage.

 

And when there’s no one to answer to but your own conscience—failure becomes freedom.

 

He started over. No drama, no declarations. Just determination. He invited his brother Rajendra from Mumbai to join him with son Naveen, and together they shaped the business into a powerhouse. The family bond became the foundation upon which the empire stood.

 

Years later, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the world came to a grinding halt. But inside Rajesh’s company, not a single person lost their job. Not one salary was cut. Over a hundred employees continued to work in staggered hours, under strict protocols—but with full dignity.

 

“They have families too,” Rajesh said quietly. “We must hold the line for them.”

 

And in those uncertain months, something extraordinary happened. With time to think and room to breathe, they improvised. They innovated. They booked top-of-the-line technology and machinery from Italy, Germany and India and added to their plant — the machines were purchased on Zoom! They got it at a never-before price due to the pandemic. And they took a chance. it paid off. What was once a survival story became a case study in leadership.

 

Now, as the story of Rajesh R. Agarwala’s  life is immortalized in the upcoming biopic Vijeyta by Rajiv Ruia, this chapter isn’t portrayed as the climax—but the quiet core. A tale not of spectacular rise or cinematic heroism, but of a man who saw value in what others discarded—materials, people, moments.

 

And that’s where Vijeyta, releasing September 19, dares to be different. It doesn’t chase applause. It captures impact.

 

Dr. Rajesh R Agarwala didn’t change the world with thunder.

He did it with clarity, consistency… and a conscience that didn’t need a spotlight to shine.